The Wolves of Tranquility
by Barricade of the Decepticons
Summary: One of the last packs of dire wolves left facing constant problems. A tired William Lennox. An animal loving Sam Witwicky. A lost pup and injured she-wolf from the same pack. A struggling alpha male who is slowly losing hope. What will they do when their strings of fate become tangled? Rated T to be safe and for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

A lime green she-wolf jolted awake. The sound of something crashing through the underbrush had her struggling to stand. A sharp pain traveled though her right forepaw and she winced. A quick glance at her paws reviled the culprit. A gleaming bear trap stared innocently back at her. The wind changed directions, and her heart began to beat even faster. She was going to die.

William Lennox had seen a lot in his lifetime. He heard a lot as well. Like the old tales the men at his fathers house would tell, the ones about dire wolves. They always ended the same, with a dead wolf skinned and the warning to always shoot one when you saw one. Then his grandfather's voice as he pulled him aside, saying the wolf was a dangerous creature, but kindness can tame even the wildest things and he could be greatly rewarded. Then he'd look over at old Dion and smiled that smile that made you think he was a hundred miles away.

"Come on Will, you're home from Qatar! Why not go on a hunt like in the good old days?" Robert Epps, his friend from Qatar had suggested. His darling wife Sarah, bless her soul, had practically forced him to go. She even packed them lunches and gave him a kiss as she lead him out the door. So, Will found himself up at the crack of dawn headed out into the woods of California.

The underbrush had grown over the years he was in the military. Trails that he knew by the back of his hand had all but vanished. Now, they belonged to the deer, which was fine with Will because the sooner they were done hunting, the better. He lead Epps through his grandfather's favorite trail, the one Dion had liked. Will didn't know why he was compelled to go this way, but something told him it was important to go on this trail today. A quick random glance thrown over his shoulder made his heart stop and adrenaline fuel his body.

Alpha was worried. His pack was falling apart. Their healer was gone, and the youngest had not been seen in days. Their rival pack was growing bolder and bolder, constantly crossing the boarder. His pack had suffered may injuries lately and the possibility of the naked-ape-with-strange-skins approaching was high. Worse, they had little pack members to spare for a hunt. What was he going to do?

A small, yellow dire wolf pup was scared, lost, and confused. Where had the older pack mates who promised protection gone? What was this strange grass that was black and hard with hard, flat flowers? The young pup was ignorant of traffic as it passed on the opposite side of the road. He never noticed the oncoming car until it slammed on it's breaks in a futile attempt to avoid him. The pup let out a frightened yelp and then all was black.

Sam Witwicky was an animal lover. He was also worn out from the recent camping trip he took with his best friend Miles. The sudden screeching of tires and the sensation of slipping as car slid around jolted him out of the half-asleep trance he had been in. Finally, skidding to a halt, Sam began to look for the cause of his father almost crashing the car. What he saw broke his heart and steeled his resolve. His parents wouldn't win this round. Time for him to be a teenager and rebel, while being a sort-of hero to that poor pup.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing; I'm simply taking the characters for a joyride.**

Will's breath came out in sharp gasps. His feet pounded into the ground as his heart raced. A quick glance over his shoulder caused it to speed up even more. Sharp teeth and blood thirsty eyes were enough encouragement to keep running. Beside him, Epps was running just as desperately. Branches clawed his face and arms, roots reaching up to trip him. The paths were against him and Epps. Neither twists nor turns would defer the monster behind them. If anything, the monster was gaining every twist. Another sharp turn had him craning off the trail into the true woods.

The hideous monster leapt over the roots behind Will intent on getting him or Epps. Malicious red eyes traveled between the two looking for the weaker link. Tattered ear were pinned back on its skull. Feral snarling came from the thing's mouth. The vaguely silver coat was long, matted, and dirty. Huge forepaws, squashed scarred ace, and long thin tale gave it a very scorpion look. The beast radiated hatred and bloodlust, scaring both humans to the core. Nothing could be as terrifying or as deadly as this wolf.

The two humans continued to thunder through the underbrush in their desperate attempt to escape. The two soldiers couldn't go on forever and just when it seemed like it couldn't get any worse, Epps tripped. With a startled yell he was lost in the underbrush. Too winded to even yell Will made a sharp right turn in hopes to catch him, slipping down a sharp incline. A protruding object came before him and the ground, tossing him head over heels to the dirt below. Another growl filled the area and Will froze. Behind him was another wolf.

The she-wolf wished she could move, or better yet escape with a pack mate. The crashing was coming closer and closer to her. She could also hear a snarl coming from the brush. Dirt began to fall hitting her face before a large weight hit her tossing her onto her side. Before she could even start to rise another weight hit her and she was knocked back down. A new scent filled her nostrils and she turned, horrified. Behind her were two no-furred-apes.

Fear radiated off the two creatures. They stared at not only her but the incline behind her too. If she had been human, her face would have been white. As it was her ears flattened and a wicked growl rose from the depths of her chest. Rising to her feet she stated eye to eye with the rival pack member.

He was smaller than her, and short for their kind. He smelled of rotted flesh and infection increasing her weariness. Narrowing her eyes, she issued another growl. Her jaw parted to reveal long, vicious canines. It was a silent warning, if he approached, she would strike.

He chuckled, a strange sound for a wolf. It was a blend of yelps and teeth clicking. The she-wolf was just as unnerved as the no-furred-apes. He scraped his paw on the ground, rattling the chain that held her. The she-wolfs paw exploded into pain. She struggled to stand, willing her legs to stop trembling. He chuckled again before leaping at her, his teeth going for her neck. His paws pulled the chain back as he lunged. The she-wolfs paw tore but she stayed standing.

The impact tore more flesh from her paw. His teeth ripped at her shoulder but missed flesh for a mouthful of fur. The she-wolf refused to be threatened or beaten. Arching her neck she went for the exposed scruff of his neck. Her uninjured forepaw went for his rib cage and succeeded in pulling off skin and fur. The fight was on.

Will stared on horrified fascination. The two wolves were locked in a death match. The mangy one was free but overconfident. The other one was caught but clearly more experienced. It was holding its own easily but clearly wouldn't last long. Part of him hoped that it would last and win. After all a caught wolf was less of a threat than a free wolf. Currently, it looked to be losing.

Fur was torn from its chest. Blood dripped down the edges of its wounds, slipping over the already blood matted parts. Its caught paw was torn so badly the bone was starting to show. It could barely stand. The poor things head kept lowering. Suddenly, Will relized that the caught wolf was his only hope. If it died, Will and Epps were screwed.

The only thing Will had thought to bring was two knives and a rifle. Without thinking he tossed a knife to Epps as his battle instincts kicked in. His fingers fumbled with the safety of the gun as he glanced at the wolves. With a click the safety was turned off and Will raised the gun. The mangier wolf's side was toward him, he had a perfect shot. Taking a deep breath, he fired.

Nothing happened. Shocked he looked at Epps before examining the gun. Horrified, he noticed it was jammed. Looking back at the wolves Will made a sudden choice. The gun fell from his hand as he reached for the knife he had. It was a standard hunting knife, made for cutting through flesh. Taking another deep breath, he approached the fray.

The trapped one was almost down. Somehow, it still found the strength to produce a creepy snarling. The other had an expression that could only be called gleeful. Suddenly, the trapped one's head snapped to the side as it noticed Will's approach. The mangy one chuckled again before it once again attacked. The distance between the human and the wolves was growing ever shorter until Will was but half a yard away.

The fighting was vicious. The mangy one was leaping and twisting, striking as fast as it could. Its overconfidence wasn't giving Will an opening. Epps however, gave him one. In one fluid motion he tossed his knife at the mangy ones side. Its head turned toward Epps moments after it and Will and the other one left. The wolf seized it by its neck looking for the jugular. Will on the other hand landed on its back. Wasting no time he began to hack at the nearest limb. A snap, howl, and a yelp marked the ending of the fight. The wolf that chased them was gone, leaving behind blood, fur, and the tail Will cut off.

The moment the car stopped Sam was out of it. He raced for the fallen pup, desperately looking for a sign that it was still alive. The images of his own dog, Mojo, passed through his mind. The cars behind his father honked but none tried to pass. The poor pup had been thrown into the guardrail on the other side of the median. Sam slid to the ground next to the pup and franticly looked it over. It wasn't breathing.

Sam's heart plummeted as soon as he touched the pup. It's body was quickly cooling. Franticly, he began to push on its chest, praying that it would start breathing again. Nothing he did seemed to have any effect and it was clear to him that the pup was already gone. With tears in his eyes he took off his jacket and wrapped it around the pup. With his head bowed Sam walked back to the car with his precious cargo. He didn't even feel the tiny heart's faint beat grow stronger as its chest began to move.

The ride to the nearest vets was done in silence. Sam's arms still cradled the body as his head rested on the window, trying to control his breathing. Tears still gathered in his eyes but he refused to let them fall. His thumb absentmindedly rubbed the pup's cheek, offering it comfort that he didn't think it could feel. Sam's mind wandered to the pup's family. Did it have a mother that was desperately searching for it? Was it abandoned by its pack and tried to cross the road to get to them? Was it trying to escape from a rival pack?

As they turned onto a bypass, Sam noticed a sharp pain in his thigh. The culprit was none other than a sharpie he had been messing with earlier. A sudden thought came to his mind and he shifted the jacket. In the space behind the poor things head he left a note for the vet. He didn't care if his mother would freak out over the destruction of his new jacket. It wasn't complicated just his number and a question about what would happen to the pup's body. His father took the pups body from his arms and brought it inside the veterinary emergency care. He came back disgruntled without Sam's jacket. The journey back to Tranquility was long.

Vet Kathy Simone was sure her little clinic was the first with these animals. Two had brought in today, an adult female and a pup male. The family that brought in the pup seemed to have not realized it was alive because when she checked it was definitely breathing. The poor thing had gotten off lucky with a broken hip and hind leg on its right side. The hunters that brought her in had also brought in the tail of another one who they claimed did the damage to the female. She didn't want to know why they only had a tail. Sighing, she looked over the information they had on the two.

The pup's coat was a strange color. It was yellow, not a blonde yellow but the bright yellow from a crayon box. Black markings ran all over its body giving it elaborate detail. She still couldn't believe that the coat was natural, after all the colors looked like they had been painted on. The body itself was different from any canine she had seen before. The little guy had a thicker skull and broader too. Her staff had nicknamed him Lucky, though privately she thought it should be something else.

The female's coat blew her out of the water. It was yellow-green and red. The anomalies in the pup were very clear in her. Her back, shoulders, and head were not that of any know canine. They were stronger and thicker. Dense muscle covered the thing, even though Kathy could feel and see every bone in her ribs and spine. Most unnerving were the female's eyes. They glowed an inhumane blue with intelligence that one didn't find in canines. Ears twisted even in her sedated state to listen to their conversation. She had been named Neon. Honestly, Kathy thought she should have been left in the wild.

After the two had been patched up and left to rest, Kathy noticed the number in the jacket, asking about a burial. Eyebrows raised she picked up the phone and called the number. No one picked up but she left a message on the pup's condition. She wouldn't charge the family for the poor thing as they saved him unknowingly. She then left a message to the local animal control and the park rangers at the nearest state park. Better let them know about the strange animals that looked like wolves and inhabited this area.

As she finished up Kathy began to wonder about the lives these two would live. They would probably end up in a zoo. That would be nice for them; they'd be able to live life carefree. Maybe they'd make the endangered species list and could be saved. The pup would grow up and find a girl, maybe that female, and have little pups of his own. Then again, the female may be violent, she might attack humans. Suddenly, her heart stopped. The female showed signs of being violent toward humans. One of her interns had to go to the hospital for stiches already. Another had turned his back to prepare a sedative only to have her bolt and make it to the waiting room before subdued. They couldn't keep her, she would escape a zoo. Release her and she could go back to human populated areas. Quickly, she texted a friend who was a ranger with the details of the female and the question of what should be done. The response was what she expected.

Kathy quietly went to the back room and called a staff meeting. She explained the female's problem to the rest of the group. No one protested her final decision and for that Kathy was glad. A voice in the back of her head whispered of her betrayal to her profession but she brushed it off. The pup would be fine, the men would understand. As she approached the pen which held the female, the unnerving eyes looked at her. They too seemed to accuse her of betrayal. Kathy didn't feel an ounce of regret as she injected pentobarbital into the things system and left her there to die.

**AN Thank You for Those Who Review the Sucky First Chapter**

**If you haven't already guessed the she-wolf is Ratchet. I love wolves and am a stickler for facts about them. A pack of the Autobots and Decepticons would have to require females for it to work. I have some ideas in mind but if you would like to see a particular Autobot or Decepticon as a female I am open to ideas. The "changed" Bots/Cons won't have a personality change as I feel Cybertronian's are genderless. Thanks for reading. Reviews aren't required but wanted as I could use some feedback. Feel free to correct me on anything.**


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